Howard “Howie” Gusaeff suffers from macular degeneration, but is determined to prevent it from robbing him of his independence.
The former resident of New Jersey has been forced to surrender his car keys due to his vision challenges, but still uses a golf cart to get around within the Water Oak 55+ community where he resides in Lady Lake.
Gusaeff, whose macular degeneration was diagnosed about a decade ago, invested in an electric tricycle. He has discovered that the trike provides him the freedom to get around, providing he carefully plans out his routes and destinations. The bachelor has found that he can ride the trike all the way to Summerfield for medical appointments.
He rode his trike Wednesday morning to the Cottage Inn on U.S. Hwy. 27/441 in Lady Lake, where Mayor Ed Freeman was hosting a “Breakfast with the Mayor” gathering.
Gusaeff has been working with the mayor to try to get an audible pedestrian signal installed at U.S. Hwy. 27/441 at the Water Oak entrance. A non-Street Legal golf cart cannot cross U.S. Hwy. 27/441 at that location, but Gusaeff can cross the highway on his trike.
“Sometimes the sun is really shining and the glare makes it hard to see the light,” Gusaeff said. “Having the audible signal would make it safer for people like me.”
Getting the audible pedestrian signal is not necessarily a Town of Lady Lake responsibility. However, Mayor Freeman, who has spent some time in Tallahassee since taking on the reins of local government, is familiar with many of the processes and procedures of the Florida Department of Transportation. The mayor has been trying to push some buttons at FDOT and make Gusaeff’s dream a reality.
Since becoming mayor in 2023, Freeman has stepped up outreach efforts in the community. Those efforts have included informal gatherings at the Lady Lake Farmers Market and at the Cottage Inn. (Freeman doesn’t buy breakfast, but those who wish to join him for breakfast can enjoy a little casual conversation with the mayor.) In addition, the mayor usually has the town manager or police chief in tow, and they are also available to field concerns from residents.
The breakfast gatherings are far removed from the formality of government meetings, which are required by law to have pre-published agendas and set procedures about public participation.
Gusaeff said it’s great to have an informal place to talk to the mayor.
“I think he can help get something done,” he said.